


Drowning

by kenna_the_antenna



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, LinkedUniverve - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Brothers, Drowning, Family, Family Fluff, Fluff, Not Beta Read, Wild tries to learn to use a fishing pole, fishing is fun, vague mentions of death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:27:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23063194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kenna_the_antenna/pseuds/kenna_the_antenna
Summary: Wild wasn’t a very good swimmer. Twilight could remember when his protégé had first told him, but he hadn’t worried. He should have.
Relationships: Twilight & Wild (Linked Universe)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 335





	Drowning

**Author's Note:**

> As an avid fisher and a weak swimmer, I sure hope I never end up in Wild's shoes.

Wild wasn’t a very good swimmer. Twilight could remember when his protégé had first told him, but he hadn’t worried. He should have.

It was just Twilight and Wild, the other boys were still in town, but the Champion and his mentor had gone out so the latter could teach him how to properly fish with a pole. How no one had taken pity on the kid and lent him a pole and taught him how to fish was plain selfish, in Twilight’s mind. He knew people must have seen him jump into the water to chase after fish, and although he understood the Zora wouldn’t have seen an issue, there were the Hylians who must have seen and turned a blind eye.

As much as Twilight wanted to give each and every person who had seen his boy struggling to catch fish and not help, a stern talking to, he knew that would be time ill spent and it wouldn’t solve anything. Instead, he decided he’d teach his protégé how to use a fishing pole before Wild had to risk jumping into dangerous water again or worse, Time gave Twilight the Disappointed Look again.

The young man shivered at the thought as he led Wild out to a bridge. The river below was furious and fast-flowing, but the banks where the water was more peaceful were full of undergrowth and all sorts of flora that hooks would get snagged in. The bridge wasn’t in the best of shape, creaking as they got settled, but Twilight assumed it would hold. He’d seen bridges in worse shape hold steady with a herd of Ordonian goats atop. This could hold two men just fine.

“Here, take this.” The older Hero handed over a pole. He’d made sure to find one that was lightweight while still being sturdy enough to last a while for even Wild, who had managed to get even the Master Sword to break on him time and time again.

“Legend helped pay for it.” That got Wild holding the apparatus more carefully than he had grabbed it, looking up at Twilight wide-eyed.

“Really? I didn’t think he’d care about something like this.”

“Yeah, well it turns out no one likes the thought of you accidentally drowning trying to catch a porgy. Not even Legend. You know he’s a total softie.” Twilight retorted, earning a wry smile from Wild.

It was true and everyone in the group knew it, even if the oftentimes abrasive Hero refused to acknowledge it himself. When he’d come up to Twilight yesterday while the latter was carefully counting the rupees he had, Twilight reluctantly told him. He’d been expecting a scoff and something snarky about how he was wasting his money. How Wild broke everything he touched. Instead, Legend had simply fished in his bag and handed Twilight a handful of gold rupees.

“Make sure you get a good one. I had to fish him out of the river after he got too tired to get back to sure twice last week. If you don’t fix this, I’m going to have a heart attack worrying over him. I’d rather not have to fish him out again.”

It was a mutual feeling between all the Heroes when it came to Wild, and while they knew he was a more than capable adventurer, they all had their weak spots. His just happened to be swimming.

Twilight pulled his thoughts back to the present and smiled fondly down at his cub. He knew this boy’s life had been so hard, and the fact he now had so many people who cared so deeply about him, made his heart swell.

“Okay, let’s teach you to fish.”

Wild unsurprisingly had a knack for picking up new concepts quickly, Twilight had to say things only once before they were committed to the Champion’s memory. It helped that basic fishing wasn’t very hard. It just took patience and a little luck. In no time flat, the two Heroes had a little pile of fish that was growing bigger, and Twilight was beyond proud. It was the same sort of pride he felt when he first had taught Colin how to fish back in Ordon Village, or when he’d seen Wind and Hyrule take down their first Lynel by themselves.

They just needed a few more fish so they could head back to town ,when it happened. Twilight was sitting on the bridge, bait on his line and listening to Wild recount the last horrific dad joke Time had tortured him with, when there was a horrendous crack. He managed to look at Wild’s surprised face before suddenly he was in the water. It was freezing cold and he unwillingly swallowed a mouthful of the stuff as his body seized. The current was so strong Twilight struggled to make sense of which way was up, for a moment was hit with a horrible thought. Is this how he died? Gulping in ice cold water in a river? He’d faced countless horrors in his travels, defeated them all, and he would end up just a bloated body drifting along the river till his cold corpse got caught in the reeds by the bank so the wolves could drag him ashore, leaving nothing but a few bones and his faded boots?

His lungs were beginning to ache and burn as he flailed, trying to make heads or tails. His eyes stung and adrenaline raced through his body as he finally managed to surface, gasping for air.

Twilight grappled to hang onto anything and found purchase in a fallen log, bobbing along. He hung on for dear life, trying to cough up the water in his lungs so he could shout.

“Wild?! Cub?! Where are you?!” Twilight knew he was one of the strongest Heroes in plain physical prowess and even he was struggling to keep above the water, kicking his legs as hard as he could.

“Wild?! Wild, where are you?!” he screamed, looking around desperately for any sign of him. Seconds felt like minutes as he struggled to look over the rapids for any sign of his cub, a flash of blue, a hint of blonde hair, anything to show him that Wild was nearby. Twilight felt like crying when he saw it. A horribly still lump, even in the rolling water.

Wild was ahead of him a ways and Twilight pushed off from the log keeping him afloat to tear after his protégé. He caught hold of the boy’s collar and in an iron grip, began swimming for the bank. It didn’t matter that his legs ached and his lungs screamed at him, he had to get to solid ground. Coughing harshly, his feet were finally able to reach the muddy shore and drag them both up and onto the grassy banks.

“Wild?” He looked over at his protégé and his breath caught in his throat. He was so pale.. his skin gaunt with stringy clumps of bangs plastered to his forehead. His lips were blue and his eyes shut.

“Oh goddesses..Wild?” Twilight didn’t feel the fatigue of fighting for his life in the water. He sat up and laid Wild flat onto his back, pounding at his chest.

“Wild..Wild..Cub..please.” He begged. The older Hero kept pushing on his protégé’s chest, begging, praying to anyone and anything that might answer his prayers to let him keep his cub. He needed to see those eyes open and full of life, see that carefree smile and that open laugh when one of the other’s would crack a joke.

Wild never had a chance in that water.. Twilight was cursing himself, pausing in his pounding to administer mouth-to-mouth before going right back to pushing on his lungs. He should have never taken Wild to such a dangerous river, much less sat him down on such a feeble bridge. He’d taken him out here in hopes of preventing any harm coming to Wild, and now it would cost the boy his life.

Twilight felt the tears begin to trickle down his cheeks, scalding hot compared to the frigid water he had been in minutes ago.

“Please..Wild.. wake up.” He sobbed, “I can’t lose you..”

There was the weakest little cough Twilight ever had the fortune of hearing. He froze. Then another. Those weren’t his coughs. The older Hero watched his protégé stir. A third weak cough and then Wild was moving. Twilight helped, turning Wild onto his side so he could cough up water, pounding his back now.

“Easy. Easy now..” The tears were streaming down his face, but for a whole new reason. “You’re okay.. you’re okay. We’re both okay.”

When Wild was no longer coughing, Twilight pulled him close to his chest, a hand buried in his hair, holding him tight.

“I thought I lost you. You weren’t breathing, I-I didn’t know what to do.” He whispered, “I’m so glad you’re okay, Cub.”

Wild could only really groan in response, every fiber of his body throbbing. His lungs, throat, and head were the worst. Twilight, to his credit, was quick to scoop up his protégé and hurry back to town. Just because he was breathing a semiconscious, didn’t mean he was out of the woods. Twilight had seen it back in Ordon. He had been only a child, but one of the fishermen had swallowed enough water to pass out, and even though they got him out and awake, that night, his lungs filled right back up with fluid and he was dead before morning.

He’d be damned if he ever let that happen to Wild.

Amassing a small following consisting of Sky, Legend, Four, and Hyrule, he rushed back to the inn they had paid for the night prior and got Wild settled on a bed. Hyrule rushed out to find Time and came back with the eldest Hero and Warriors in tow. Between the five of them who hadn’t had their belongings washed downriver, they were able to procure enough potions and filter them down Wild’s throat, that they hoped he could make it.

Said Hero had nodded off a while ago, oblivious to the others’ worry over him. They got him changed into warm, dry clothing and eventually wrangled Twilight into something drier as well. He refused to leave his protégé’s side as the hours passed, listening intently for any change in his breathing. Wind and Hyrule managed to find Twilights belongings, but the fishing poles seemed to be lost. He didn’t care. As long as he had Wild, he’d by the other a million fishing poles if need be.

As night fell, Twilight kept watch. The other Heroes would keep watch with him periodically. Time was always there, but they all took turns to keep him company for a few hours. Occasionally Wild would rouse enough to get a few bites of food and some more potions down, but no one really minded.

He made it through till morning, waking and looking almost back to normal. It was only then that Twilight dared to breathe a sigh of relief and let himself really feel just how tired he was. He’d been so worried over his cub, he’d ignored the own fatigue in his muscles, the urge to sleep lapping at the back of his mind. Now that he knew Wild would be fine, he allowed it to begin to overtake him. Time seemed to notice and carefully guided his own protégé into the bed next to Wild’s, Twilight too tired to complain.

“Cub, I’m sorry.” He whispered.

Wild looked over, bags under his eyes and still a little pale, but the feral little twinkle in his eyes was back, “For what?”

“For putting you in that situation. You almost die-“Twilight blinked as a pillow was tossed in his direction.

“Hey, no. Shut up.” Wild replied. His voice was a little hoarse, but it didn’t stop the Champion Hero. “You were doing a nice thing and you thought the bridge was going to hold. I thought it was going to hold. No one is to blame for this, and don’t you dare apologize for it.”

Twilight stared before sighing, “Ugh, I’m supposed to say that sort of thing. You can’t use that against me.” He smiled ruefully, “But okay, Cub.” He shut his eyes, finally willing to succumb to sleep now that he knew Wild would be okay.

“Now that you know how to fish, I think next we’re going to teach you to be a better swimmer.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little drabble, and if you did, feel free to leave a comment or give kudos. They make my day!  
> Have a wonderful day!


End file.
